that’s what I love about you.”
He snorted at that. “I’ve never been a hero to anyone. Least of all to you—”
“Yes, you were,” she interrupted, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and pressing her cheek against his back. “We didn’t choose to have the childhood we did, John, but there it is. And you protected me from it better than any other twelve-year-old boy ever could have.”
“But it wasn’t enough,” he said unblinkingly. “It simply wasn’t enough.”
“Hey I resent that!” She chuckled as she turned him around to face her. “Listen, I’ve got my faults but overall I’m a pretty decent woman.” She waited for him to look at her before continuing. “Okay so I picked the wrong guys twice, married them twice, and divorced them twice. But other than that,” she shrugged, “I’ve got it all. I’m happy Johnny. I’m very, very happy. And,” she said, thumping him on the chest, “I owe it all to you, you big idiot.”
When his forehead wrinkled and he opened his mouth to speak, she could tell he was going to counter her admission with a rebuttal. She groaned, thumping him again. “Stop it! My shitty marriages didn’t have anything to do with you. There was nothing you could have done to stop me from marrying the wrong guys.” That wasn’t entirely true, but now wasn’t the time to bring up old ghosts. “It just happens. To lots of women,” she said pointedly. “Not just women whose parents beat the living shit out of them as kids.”
He sighed as he swiped a hand over his jaw.
“Let it go,” she said softly. “Because there’s not a damn thing wrong with me.” That wasn’t completely true either. She did carry one secret that weighed down on her pretty heavily. But, sadly, she’d come to realize it was a secret she would have to take to her grave.
His nostrils flared as he looked away, staring out into the night.
She sighed as she ran her hand up and down his back in a soothing gesture. “Have you ever considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe, you sequester yourself away on a remote island with a bunch of naked women because it’s easier than going out on an emotional limb with just one?”
He grunted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
She clucked her tongue. “Try being your own hero for a change. I can take care of myself. And so can Jack.”
He sighed, then turned to her and grinned in an effort to change the subject. “I don’t know that I’m ready for such a monumental step for myself. However, we are in a position to help Jack out with Kris.”
“I like her,” Sheri said simply. “There’s just something solid about her, know what I mean?”
John nodded. “I don’t want you to give her any of the assignments tonight that could possibly end in fucking. That way if Jack loses any of the contests—”
“Jack?” she interrupted with a chuckle. “Not Jack. Let’s remember he’s not one of those soft rich boys down there, my dear. This is Jack we’re talking about. Just like you he’s had to fight for everything he’s ever had tooth and nail.”
“Which makes him appreciate it more than they do,” he said softly, his gaze turning back to the window.
“Exactly.” Sheri thought the problem over for a moment, then nodded when the solution came to her. “I can pay Cherice off, get her to come down with a sudden case of the flu, and tell Kris I need her to wait tables at one of the tiki huts tonight instead of—”
“No.”
“No?” Her brow furrowed. “I thought you wanted to make sure Kris doesn’t end up in bed with any of the men tonight.”
“That is what I want.”
“Then…?”
“I only want you to give her
He snorted at that. “I’ve never been a hero to anyone. Least of all to you—”
“Yes, you were,” she interrupted, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind and pressing her cheek against his back. “We didn’t choose to have the childhood we did, John, but there it is. And you protected me from it better than any other twelve-year-old boy ever could have.”
“But it wasn’t enough,” he said unblinkingly. “It simply wasn’t enough.”
“Hey I resent that!” She chuckled as she turned him around to face her. “Listen, I’ve got my faults but overall I’m a pretty decent woman.” She waited for him to look at her before continuing. “Okay so I picked the wrong guys twice, married them twice, and divorced them twice. But other than that,” she shrugged, “I’ve got it all. I’m happy Johnny. I’m very, very happy. And,” she said, thumping him on the chest, “I owe it all to you, you big idiot.”
When his forehead wrinkled and he opened his mouth to speak, she could tell he was going to counter her admission with a rebuttal. She groaned, thumping him again. “Stop it! My shitty marriages didn’t have anything to do with you. There was nothing you could have done to stop me from marrying the wrong guys.” That wasn’t entirely true, but now wasn’t the time to bring up old ghosts. “It just happens. To lots of women,” she said pointedly. “Not just women whose parents beat the living shit out of them as kids.”
He sighed as he swiped a hand over his jaw.
“Let it go,” she said softly. “Because there’s not a damn thing wrong with me.” That wasn’t completely true either. She did carry one secret that weighed down on her pretty heavily. But, sadly, she’d come to realize it was a secret she would have to take to her grave.
His nostrils flared as he looked away, staring out into the night.
She sighed as she ran her hand up and down his back in a soothing gesture. “Have you ever considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe, you sequester yourself away on a remote island with a bunch of naked women because it’s easier than going out on an emotional limb with just one?”
He grunted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
She clucked her tongue. “Try being your own hero for a change. I can take care of myself. And so can Jack.”
He sighed, then turned to her and grinned in an effort to change the subject. “I don’t know that I’m ready for such a monumental step for myself. However, we are in a position to help Jack out with Kris.”
“I like her,” Sheri said simply. “There’s just something solid about her, know what I mean?”
John nodded. “I don’t want you to give her any of the assignments tonight that could possibly end in fucking. That way if Jack loses any of the contests—”
“Jack?” she interrupted with a chuckle. “Not Jack. Let’s remember he’s not one of those soft rich boys down there, my dear. This is Jack we’re talking about. Just like you he’s had to fight for everything he’s ever had tooth and nail.”
“Which makes him appreciate it more than they do,” he said softly, his gaze turning back to the window.
“Exactly.” Sheri thought the problem over for a moment, then nodded when the solution came to her. “I can pay Cherice off, get her to come down with a sudden case of the flu, and tell Kris I need her to wait tables at one of the tiki huts tonight instead of—”
“No.”
“No?” Her brow furrowed. “I thought you wanted to make sure Kris doesn’t end up in bed with any of the men tonight.”
“That is what I want.”
“Then…?”
“I only want you to give her
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